Via

How’s that for a blog post title? Yup, it’s pretty depressing, but so am I when I look back on my list resolutions for 2012 and realise that I didn’t get much accomplished on that list over the entirely of the year. Boo me.

1. Repair (or have repaired) the ceiling in the dining room. (I got a quote on getting the work done – but that was it)
2. Paint the walls in the dining room
3. Spruce up the kitchen (all I did was add new cabinet hardware – I had so many other plans)
4. Get some additional storage for the dining room
5. Come up with a better furniture layout for the living room
6. Finish my dresser project (Yay! Something I completed! You can see my dresser project here)
7. Paint the living room a colour other than white.
8. Get actual window coverings for the bedroom, living room and dining room
9. Get or make some art for the walls
10. Actually hang the art on the walls!
11. Get a rug for the foyer that can fit under the door when it opens.
12. Get bedside tables that are not two different sizes.
13. Get a prettier TV console (Did this too! Here it is)
14. Add some more storage to living room
15. Purge my bookcase
16. Paint my bedroom
17. Get a rug for my bedroom.
18. Refinish those chairsI bought last spring . . .
19. Install my dining room light
20. Remove doors into dining room and living room.
21. Get more lighting for the living room

I'm also going to share some goals I'd like to reach when it comes to this blog:

1. Consider a move from wordpress.com to wordpress.org I did this last January
2. Learn to take better photographs (Sort-of – I got a new camera so my pictures improved by default)
3. Increase average posts a week from 1 to 2.
4. Reach 100,000 views (Currently at 22,000) This happened a few weeks ago and I didn’t notice.

Okay, maybe I'll toss in some personal ones too.

1. Start taking my lunch to work EVERY DAY (okay, 4 out of 5 days)
2. Get back into running, and do at least one 10K race in 2012 (I did run an 8K – so this is about 80% complete)
3. Buy myself flowers every so often 'just-because' This I did this in few months, so I'm calling this one done!

So there you have it – proof that I’m a complete failure when it comes to resolutions. Now the big debate – do I make a resolution list for 2013, or do I just give up now?

'One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clear it up too quickly’. – Andy Rooney (1919 – 2011)

I debated what to do with the pompoms – even going so far as to lay them out in ombre graduated colour manner, but in the end I decided to just pile them all in a bowl and go completely random. I used clear plastic beading thread to string the pompoms as I had it on hand, but I regular thread should work just as well. This process is a little long, but I did my stringing while watching some TV.
With the string of pompoms done I turned my attention to what else I should put on my tree. With the colour of the pompoms I decided I should go for something else completely colourless. I debated about making up some salt clay, but when I was in my favourite art supply store I found air-dry clay for $4. I picked up a small snowflake at a local kitchen store for $1.50, and once the dough was rolled out used the cutter to make little snowflakes.
I used a toothpick to add little holes at the top of one of the snowflakes arms for string, and then let them air-dry for two days. Once they were dry I used some of the same string I used last year to make my hanging mirrors to add hanging loops.
Once my decorations were ready it was time to decorate. I decided that the corner of my living room was the best place for my tree, but I unfortunately don’t have a table there, and the thought of putting my diminutive tree on the ground made me sad. Being the resourceful girl I am, I pulled one of my bedside tables for it to sit on (We’ll just ignore the fact that for the next little while one bedside lamp is now sitting on the ground beside my bed).
Once the tree was up (which was really hard – I had to attach the three legs), I first strung the mirror ornaments I made last year.
Next up was my new pompom garland.
And finally my new clay snowflakes. I made 15 snowflakes, but there are only 14 on the tree because I had a clumsy moment. Sigh.
Once I had my tree decorated it was time for a couple of finishing touches. I don’t have a tree skirt so I used a flat white sheet and draped it around the bottom of the tree, and I did pull out two decorations from my collection. I’ve had this Lego Santa for a while, so I felt he deserved to be on display.
I also put out my little nativity scene. I love their faces, and the cow and donkey are adorable.
Here's my tree all decorated.

So there you have it. What do you think? Too simple? Are the pompoms a little childish? Did you decorate a tree this year? Are you like me and you like your tree to look like a tree with a few ornaments, or do you prefer your tree to be completely covered with ornaments?

From top left: Pot, Napkin, Clock, Rug, Ring, Rug, Pillow, Plate, Pillow, Chair, Rug

I cannot tell you how excited I am that a shade of Green is the colour of the year. I LOVE green, and not just because I’m Irish ;). I’ve had this picture pinned forever and I love it – the emerald green is a lovely contrast to the cream and black.

Via Charm Home Design

I’ve got bedside lamps with green dots on them, and I’ve been trying to put together my bedroom for a couple of years, but I’ve found green rather hard to find in fabrics and linens (at least at the stores I frequent). Hopefully this will change as the year goes on, and green will be easier to find as retailers take their cue from Pantone – just like they did in 2012.

The Brother MFC-J4510DW printer we all got to take home!

The following evening I took my very first GO train ride up to Woodbridge to check out the Deco-Rest showroom, and hear presentations from Deco-Rest and Para Paints. Para Paints introduced us to their new Colour Forecast Palette which groups together 56 colour combinations in an easy to visualize way.

The New Para Paints Colour Forecast Palette

It was D’s and my 3 year anniversary last Thursday so this weekend we went to a lovely B&B in Pennsylvania. We left Toronto on Friday evening just as the city experienced the first snowfall of the winter which meant it took over 6hrs to get to our destination. Once we were there though it was amazing – I think it was the best B&B I’ve ever been to. The breakfasts were divine, and the area was really gorgeous. I hope to share more pictures soon.

This was the third course for breakfast on our second morning. SO GOOD!

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend a filming of Cityline, which is a morning lifestyle show here in Canada. There were going the 12 DIY days of Christmas, and it was neat to see how a one-hour show comes together, and also very interesting to see just how little a live studio audience actually sees of what’s going on.

I took this between shots - the audience doesn't really see anything. It was very interesting though.

So there you have it - a few of the things I've been up to over the last week or so. I hope to have something crafty to show you next week, that may be Christmas related since we're already well in December already (How did that happen?). Also, can you all please tell me that you, like I, haven't started your Christmas shopping yet, or written any Christmas cards? It would be very much appreciated as I'm starting to stress out about how far behind I am.

Some of the marvelous pieces available from Re:Style

Re: Style Studio (Booth Z-19) is run by Andrea Ford. She creates one-of-a-kind furniture pieces with vibrant fabric and colours that are stunning – the picture above doesn’t do the pieces justice.. She also runs reupholstery workshops out of her studio. I’m plotting to attend one in the new year. restylestudiotoronto.com

Tools necklaces from MoonRox Jewelry

MoonRox Jewellery (Booth Y-20) is a line of great jewellery created by Monique Chan. I loved the little tool necklaces shown above. They are $45 each, and perfect for your favourite DIY-er moonrox.ca

James Kennedy 'Continents' steel art

James Kennedy (Booth Y-44) is an artist from Montreal who works with steel, and he is showcasing his ‘Continents’ series at the show. My photo doesn’t do his pieces any justice – they are simply stunning in person. The variation in the colours in the steel makes you forget it's made from cold metal. His 12”x12” pieces are $325, and the large 48’x42”(not shown) are $3400. jameskennedy.ca/

The guys from Pook Tuques

Pook Tuques (Booth U-10) The guys above run Pook Tuques and their booth is worth a visit simply to have them demonstrate the many ways their Pook Tuque can be worn. It’s hilarious (there's a 'Donald' comb-over). You can take a look at the many way the hat can be worn on their website. pook.ca

The lovely animal creations from the Felt Factory. Which one would you pick?

Felt Factory (Booth R-19) is run by Sabine Alpers, and will be at the show just until November 26th, so if you like her felted animal heads you’ll have to go this weekend. If you follow me on Instagram you know I spotted one of her Unicorns last weekend in a store in Picton and fell in love. After seeing her animals at the show I’m now torn between the Unicorn and the Bison (which isn't shown), but they’re all amazing. The animals range in price from $60-$90. feltfactory.com

'There is Softness' by Tammy Shane

Tammy Shane (Booth Q-24) is an artist who will also only be at the show until November 26th. All her paintings are stunning, but the larger pieces are especially lovely. The piece above, entitled ‘There is a Softness’, is 48”x48” and really caught my attention($2820). Tammy Shane on Facebook

Hen painting on Mylar by Sarah Hillock

Sarah Hillock (Booth K-12) is an artist whose booth features large quite realistic oil paintings of cows and other animals. Looking at her work you can’t help but smile – they are marvelous and fun, and quirky in a really great way. sarahhillock.com

The Sweet Truth Candy Company

The Sweet Truth Gourmet Candy Company (Booth G-36) is run by Diane McMillan after she learned to learned to make candy from her grandmother, and her candies are divine. With 7 flavours including Almond Butter Toffee, Sweet Lemon Butter Toffee and Cappuccino Chocolate Toffee and Pecans your taste buds will thank you if you stop by for a taste. The small tins are $8.95 and the large $14.50. sweettruthcandy.com

My selection for the 'vintage' vessel we were told to bring

I’m not quite sure what it is – it might be an ice bucket? I bought it at a thrift store for $4, so I thought it qualified as vintage. I should have looked harder for a cute teacup because this thing was a bit difficult to arrange flowers in - too wide.

The flowers we would use for our arrangements

Alison set us all up around some tables, and then did a quick demonstration of how she makes her lovely arrangements. Nerd that I am, I took notes on my phone (I’m sure she thought I was being rude and texting, but I wanted to remember some of the things she said). Here are some of the things I learned:

• Use room temperature water.
• Remove all the greenery (leaves, etc) that will be below the waterline.
• When trimming stems cut at a 45 degree angle – this gives more surface area for the flower to absorb water.
• If you’re using a small shallow vase you can use clear tape to make a grid over the opening – this will help the flowers and greenery stay in place.
• Start by adding your greenery, and once most of it’s arranged add you blooms. The greenery supports the flowers, and makes them stand out more. (I’m going to think of it like underwear – a really gorgeous outfit can look only so-so if you’re not wearing the right underwear – right?) You can add more greenery later to fill any spaces that remain after you’ve added the flowers.
• If you need to force any blooms put them in warm water and then cover with a plastic bag.
• In terms of scale – the height of an arrangement is very much personal preference, but as a rule of thumb the whole arrangement should be about twice the height of the vase alone.

I was going to take pictures of my bucket as I went, but I got distracted by the fun and forgot. Bad blogger. Anyways about 40 minutes after I started I ended up with this:

My flower arrangement at home. Before it got home I took it on the bus - I got some weird looks.

Some of the other participants arrangement were stunning so I’m going to have to practice. Such a hardship – playing with flowers.

Tasty sustenance while we waited in line

I'm in love with this gold cutlery

What's not to love about these glasses?

Mason Jar cocktail shaker? Yes Please!

I really like this Branch Floor lamp. I would LOVE it if it came in Gold.

Eeeps! Getting close!

Sigh - the record of my brush with blogging superstars, and it's blurry :(

So far I've only managed to quickly flip through the book, but already I'm plotting projects #2, 12, 24 and #36. I'm sure there will be more that I'm inspired to try, and maybe I'll even complete some of them!

Old Sweetsuite10 homepage design

Old Sweetsuite10 blog post look

The main blog page looked like this. Nothing really exceptional about it, and the subscribe/follow section was a little amateur looking. I’ve updated the subscribe/follow section for my new look. Here’s the before and after – much better now isn’t it? Now you just need to click on the circles to see my Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest pages, send me an email or follow the blog through RSS.

he old and new subscribe/follow panels - the new one is much better isn't it?

I also changed my header image. The old one was a bit busy. I like the new one quite a bit more as it’s simpler.

The old and new header images - the new one is simpler

Here’s my new main page – which is simply my blog. I’ve done away with a separate ‘landing page’ in the hopes that the new look is simpler to navigate.
I have added one new thing which I’ve been meaning to do for months – I’ve created a project gallery page. Here I've posted images that link to some of my favourite past projects, crafts and recipes. Fingers crossed I’ll remember to keep adding to it!
So there it is – my new look. There are still a few quirks I need to fix, but for the most part it’s done. I should thank D who put up with a number of panicky phone calls when things weren’t going well, and helped me get things moving in the right direction again. It’s rather handy to have a boyfriend who knows a little about coding and Photoshop.